International
Thai Police Arrest 15 in Bangkok Mansion Raid, Exposing Transnational Scam Operation Targeting Japan
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 17, 2026: Royal Thai Immigration police arrested 15 suspects in a raid on a luxury Bangkok mansion early Thursday, uncovering a transnational call-centre operation that allegedly defrauded victims in Japan, according to The Pattaya News.
The operation was led by Pol. Maj. Gen. Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, under a court-issued search warrant. Officers entered a two-storey walled residence on Soi Ekkachai 112 in Bang Bon district following a public tip-off about large numbers of foreigners entering and leaving the property.
The suspects — all men — include Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese nationals, along with one Thai. Police identified them as operational-level workers responsible for making scam calls. A Chinese national believed to be the operation's organiser, who allegedly used a nominee to rent the property for more than a year at 900,000 baht per month, remains at large and is believed to still be in Thailand. Authorities are monitoring possible overland escape routes.
The upper floor of the residence had been converted into a Japanese-language call centre, equipped with eight soundproof booths, Japanese-language scripts, computers, laptops and mobile phones. Officers also seized fake Japanese police uniforms, counterfeit police identification cards, embroidered station logos and radios, which were allegedly used during video calls to impersonate Japanese law enforcement.
The ground floor contained a karaoke room, a large hall, a poker table, playing cards, cash-exchange chips, more than 27 mobile phones and six pocket Wi-Fi devices. Police also seized ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, drug-use equipment and scales.
Investigators said the operation followed a recurring pattern: callers contacted victims at random and claimed an illegal package had been intercepted. Victims who responded were transferred to a second line posing as police, who claimed suspicious financial transactions had been detected and pressured them into transferring money for "investigation."
Seized items are being catalogued, and the suspects have been handed to immigration investigators for charging. Foreign nationals are expected to be deported following legal proceedings.
The case adds to growing regional scrutiny of transnational scam networks operating in Southeast Asia, an issue the newly sworn-in U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, Christopher Anderson, has identified as a priority for his mission in Phnom Penh.
Source: The Pattaya News
Reported by The Khmer Today
